


Measure for Measure

by elistaire



Series: The Fell of Dark [2]
Category: Queen of Swords
Genre: Character Turned Into Vampire, Dark Humor, Gen, Humor, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-27
Updated: 2011-03-27
Packaged: 2017-10-17 07:32:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/174397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elistaire/pseuds/elistaire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Revenge is taken upon those that killed his children.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Measure for Measure

**Author's Note:**

> An ending of sorts for 'The Fell of Dark' , but not to be taken too seriously.

The vampire came above ground, past rock and soil, and took to the sky. Angry, his hunger thrummed through him and the dying screams of his children lingered still in his ears. He made for the town, vowing vengeance.

He caught the faint scent of his prey from the sky and descended to a balcony, moving silently, and found he was to be denied. His chosen prey--his enemy--was gone. The vampire clenched his fists, drawing blood from his own palms. He glided out to the balcony. Thwarted, his desire for common vengeance changed and shifted until his heart was stopped full of ire. Once more into the air he went.

And sought out the scent of the second man involved in the murder of his own. The man was sleeping soundly on his bunk, breathing softly. The vampire approached, rifling his fingers through the man’s hair before gripping at juncture of head and neck. Awake now, the man struggled fruitlessly and the vampire struck. It didn’t take long.

He left the man there and took to the sky again, hunting one last enemy.

The vampire found him alone, soused with the sweetness of cheap wine, and took his revenge.

Done, he laughed, although his soul was hollow in the space where his children had been. This revenge was bitter and dark, extending well beyond the quick deaths he had initially sought; it pleased him and would please him for a long time. He left the dwellings behind and vanished into the dark enveloping night.

~~~

“Doc? Doc? Doc!”

Dr. Helm slowly came awake. His hand went to his neck, but it was whole and he sighed. A dream. Just a dream. “What do you want?” he yelled into the other room.

“Doc. Something’s…wrong.”

Dr. Helm crawled from his bed, feeling woozy and cotton-headed. He peered out his window. Barely dawn. What had he done to deserve Grisham so early in the morning? “Wrong? Other than your waking me--“ He flung himself from the window, yelping in pain and clutching his arm where it burned. Red-white blisters formed, swelling up from his skin, and his entire forearm throbbed as if scalding water had been thrown at him. Holding his injured arm, he looked through the doorway to see Grisham huddled in a corner, staring at him with wide eyes.

~~

“I’m not going to eat people.”

The sun had finally, blessedly, set. After a day stuck in the office with Grisham, Dr. Helm was more than ready to escape out into the cooling night. Except-- Well, what exactly did he plan to do once he was out there? “I’m not going to eat people,” he repeated, defiantly.

It had become quite obvious what had happened. After all, only a few days ago they had solved--supposedly--the mystery of the children’s sickness. So vampires were on their minds. Coupled with his dream, Grisham’s similar dream, and the evidence that neither of them could tolerate sunlight, garlic, the small silver cross that he’d had tucked away in a drawer, or see themselves in a mirror…well, it had become apparent what had happened. Even Grisham had figured it out.

“But I’m hungry, Doc!” Grisham paced the room.

“Yes,” Dr. Helm said, “and as soon as you go about eating people you’ll fall right into the vampire’s trap. Eat people, lose your soul. If it isn’t lost already.” He glared over at Grisham. “What we need to do is find this vampire and destroy him. I’m willing to bet that if we do, we might revert to human again.”

“Okay,” Grisham said uncertainly. “But how about just a little snack first? I mean, what about Don Gaspar? He’s huge enough that we could both eat him and he’d never know the difference!”

“No!” Dr. Helm moved to the door and out into the night. “We’re hunting down the vampire. And--“ He looked back and Grisham was gone.

~~~

Montoya sighed, glad to finally be returning home. His trip to Monterey had been long, stressful, and completely useless. He despised politics, but he had to play the game if he wanted to improve his position. He yawned and looked out the coach’s window. Almost dark. He’d hoped to arrive earlier, but at least he had not been delayed another day. He didn’t trust Grisham to keep the pueblo in good order. The man was a walking accident.

The coach stopped and Montoya climbed out, stiff and sore from the ride. The town seemed odd. Strangely quiet. For one thing, there was no one about. No children playing in the dirt. The cantina was as silent as a graveyard.

Finally, his straining ears picked up a sound. Voices. An argument. He went toward it, prepared to ferret out what trouble had come during his absence. Grisham would suffer for this, whatever it was.

He rounded the corner and stopped, staring down the lane toward Dr. Helm’s office. Dr. Helm, Grisham, and Don Gaspar were standing there.

“Did you have to eat everyone?” Dr. Helm was asking.

“Yeah,” Grisham chimed in. “No there’s no one left for us!”

“But, I was so hungry!” Don Gaspar said and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Montoya cleared his throat, making himself known, and all three men turned their heads to look at him. Their gazes locked upon him and he could read something in their faces--something entirely different from what he expected or even understood, something dangerously languorous--that shook him to his bones. The words of castigation died on his lips, and while he did not step backwards, every fiber of his body was telling him to run.

“I’m still hungry,” Don Gaspar said and licked his lips.

Montoya went for his sword and his pistol.


End file.
